MAYDAY FOR CICADAS : An exhibition by Kate MacKenzie
Is it a hopeful mating call? Or a cry for help?
That’s the question artist Kate MacKenzie poses through her upcoming exhibition at Muse
Gallery in Havelock North. Mayday For Cicadas is a new body of work inspired by childhood
– a time when life was simpler, slower, and the only buzzing, burring and ringing came from
nature rather than the pervasive technology of modern life.
Surrealist painter and two time finalist in the Adam Portrait Awards, MacKenzie says,
“Mayday For Cicadas reorders the world from an imagination that is solution-based.” It draws
on the New Zealand of our recent past, when the summer soundtrack of the cicada was
“something we could take for granted. Now, I wonder, do we hear a mayday, or is it that we
have stopped listening?”
MacKenzie’s body of work, showing at Muse in October also reflects the way a worldwide
pandemic has impacted our lives. “We have either struggled or thrived during many weeks of
lockdown. The need to immerse ourselves in our beautiful beaches and forests during this
time became deeply felt.”
Each piece connects us to this shift in our collective consciousness. “New Beginnings” is
about re-entering the world with new perspectives. “The Graduate” is inspired by the many
young men and women who encourage us to find hope amid confusion. Other works
demonstrate how a warming planet and pandemic bring challenges, with no guarantee of
survival. Yet hope springs eternal for MacKenzie; her central muse sees with large eyes,
implacable calm, arresting beauty.
Multiculturalism is also a recurring motif – there is an integration of Maori and Pakeha
symbols enmeshed in her work, representing MacKenzie’s own values of equality, respect
and tolerance.
Her portraits and landscapes have elements of a montage, too, bringing together emblems
of her concerns for the world. “I like to use a collection of subconscious images that aren’t
usually seen together and then add conscious thought to establish a meaning or message.”
Is it a hopeful mating call? Or a cry for help?
That’s the question artist Kate MacKenzie poses through her upcoming exhibition at Muse
Gallery in Havelock North. Mayday For Cicadas is a new body of work inspired by childhood
– a time when life was simpler, slower, and the only buzzing, burring and ringing came from
nature rather than the pervasive technology of modern life.
Surrealist painter and two time finalist in the Adam Portrait Awards, MacKenzie says,
“Mayday For Cicadas reorders the world from an imagination that is solution-based.” It draws
on the New Zealand of our recent past, when the summer soundtrack of the cicada was
“something we could take for granted. Now, I wonder, do we hear a mayday, or is it that we
have stopped listening?”
MacKenzie’s body of work, showing at Muse in October also reflects the way a worldwide
pandemic has impacted our lives. “We have either struggled or thrived during many weeks of
lockdown. The need to immerse ourselves in our beautiful beaches and forests during this
time became deeply felt.”
Each piece connects us to this shift in our collective consciousness. “New Beginnings” is
about re-entering the world with new perspectives. “The Graduate” is inspired by the many
young men and women who encourage us to find hope amid confusion. Other works
demonstrate how a warming planet and pandemic bring challenges, with no guarantee of
survival. Yet hope springs eternal for MacKenzie; her central muse sees with large eyes,
implacable calm, arresting beauty.
Multiculturalism is also a recurring motif – there is an integration of Maori and Pakeha
symbols enmeshed in her work, representing MacKenzie’s own values of equality, respect
and tolerance.
Her portraits and landscapes have elements of a montage, too, bringing together emblems
of her concerns for the world. “I like to use a collection of subconscious images that aren’t
usually seen together and then add conscious thought to establish a meaning or message.”
